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Dallas Cowboys may be targeting a safety in the second round of the NFL Draft

The Dallas Cowboys have been linked to various safeties around the league for nearly a year. While the team was unable to sign now-Baltimore Raven Earl Thomas in free agency, and had interest in Eric Berry, it did add George Iloka to the back end of its defense.

The veteran Iloka eases the concern at the position, if nothing else. Though, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said getting a safety with the team’s first choice, 58th overall in the second round, isn’t a necessity. The Cowboys have used six of their 30 pre-draft visits on the position, though, so they will likely entertain the idea if a player of value at the position is on the board.

According to the Dallas Morning News, Mississippi State’s Johnathan Abram, Florida’s Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, Boston College’s Will Harris, Washington’s Taylor Rapp, Virginia’s Juan Thornhill, and Michigan State’s Khari Willis have all visited the Cowboys leading up to the draft.

“I think you can always improve any position,” Jones said via NBC Sports. “Obviously, if you look at the resources we have there in terms of money or quality of pick, it’s probably got the least amount of resources that have put toward any position on our team is the safety position. Xavier [Woods] was a later pick, [Jeff] Heath was a later pick. Kavon [Frazier] was a later pick. Iloka, we got him in free agency, but I wouldn’t say we broke the bank bringing him to Dallas.”

“If a really good safety showed up we think can improve us at some point in the draft that could certainly upgrade us in terms of that particular position.”

Whether or not the Cowboys select a safety in the second round, it’s a good bet they will draft one by the time their final pick rolls around.